The following message is from UMW Business Services:
In 2018 UMW made the business decision to solicit proposals from established and qualified firms to operate the university’s Bookstore. Barnes & Noble Education rose to the top as a result of this competitive process and was recently awarded the contract.
Barnes & Noble will continue to focus on UMW’s priorities around student success, including competitively priced course materials with scalable and various delivery options, exceptional service to the community, and commitments of support that include course material scholarships for students and financial contributions for student activities. The agreement also brings expanded marketing and public relations opportunities and a financial return to the university.
Barnes & Noble representatives prefer to hire existing staff and current employees wishing to stay on will become Barnes & Noble employees.
Committed to a successful transition, members of the Barnes & Noble team recently met with stakeholders integral to the April phase of the transition. While these initial transition processes advance, the team will return in May to meet with faculty and staff representatives as part of the planning and implementation process.
The Bookstore will close after regular operating hours on June 27, 2019, and re-open on July 8, 2019, as the Barnes & Noble/University of Mary Washington Bookstore. A Grand Opening Celebration is planned for late September or early October.
I’m so glad to see book stores surviving the age of Amazon. Along with the fact that B&N is hiring the same staff too, this is a great story to read! 🙂